Bridge-floor.



T. E. STOGKFORD.

I BRIDGE FLOOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 16, 1909.

972,482. Patanted Oct. 11, 1910.

f/VVENTOR onrrn THOMAS E. STOCKFORD, 0F WILLIAMS, CALIFORNIA.

BRIDGE-FLOOR.

Application filed December 16, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. STOCK- ronn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at WVilliams, county of Colusa, State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridge-Floors, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawm This invention relates to a bridge flooring andparticularly to a wear plate adapted for application to a woodenflooring.

The invention has for an object to provide a wear plate adapted to coverthe space between adjacent boards and having securing means enteringsaid space by which the plates may be held in proper position and thewear upon the surface of the boards and the angular corners thereofefiiectually prevented.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will behereinafter set forth and the novel features defined by the appendedclaims.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan showing the invention applied; Fig. 2is an enlarged vertical cross section; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective ofone of the plates; and Fig. 4 is a similar view of a modified form ofplate.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts in the several figures ofthe drawing.

The numeral 10 designates the boards or timbers of a bridge or otherflooring which are spaced from each other in the usual manner. The wearplates 11 are adapted to cover the spaces between these boards so as toprevent the wear thereof and particularly of the angular corners of theboards which, when worn, produce a rough roadway. The wear plates 11 areprovided with a depending rib 12 which may be formed integrallytherewith such, for instance, as by the use of a T-iron. The rib 12enters the spaces between the adjacent boards and may be secured thereinby means of the bendable fingers 13 which are shown in Figs. 2 and 3 asmounted upon the opposite faces of the rib 12. These fingers are adaptedto be bent beneath and into contact with the flooring timbers 10 asshown at 14: in Fig. 2, thus effectually preventing any verticalmovement or rattling of the wear plates when in position upon theflooring.

In the modified form of the invention Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910.

Serial No. 533,410.

shown in Fig. 4, the wear plate 15 is provided with a corrugateddepending rib 16 which by its frictional engagement with the adjacentboards retains the plate in position after it has been driven into thespace between them. These plates are herein shown as extending for asuificient distance to cover the portion of a bridge with which thewheels of a vehicle contact but they may be extended for any desireddistance, for instance entirely across the portion of a bridge which isused for vehicles. At the outer end of the strips, a guard rail 17 isplaced in order to confine vehicles to the portion of the loolriclgewhere the wear plates are disose It will be seen that the plates may bereadily applied and secured between the flooring boards or timbers ofany ordinary bridge and, when in position, prevent the cutting of theseboards by the wheels of vehicles and also the wearing of the angularedges which soon produces a depression at that point. It will thereforebe seen that the invention presents a simple, eflicient and economicallyconstructed wear plate adapted for ready application and which greatlyincreases the life of the bridge flooring by protecting the points atwhich the greatest wear occurs.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits what I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of constructing a protected floor which comprises thelaying of a floor of spaced boards and the provision of a rotecting barof T-shaped cross-section an the application of such bar for insertionof its flange or rib downward between such spaced boards.

2. The combination with permanently secured spaced floor boards, of aprotecting plate having a depending securing device shaped to beinserted downward between adjacent boards from their upper surfacewithout altering the relative position of said boards and to engage aface thereof to retain said plate against Vertical movement.

3. A wear plate for floors comprising a plate having a rib extended atan angle thereto and adapted for insertion between adjacent spacedboards of said flooring, and bendable securing fingers carried by saidrib to engage the under faces of said fioor boards.

4:. A wear plate for floors comprising a plate having a rib extended atan angle thereto and adapted for insertion between adjacent spacedboards of said flooring, and bendable securing fingers carried upon eachface of said rib and adapted to engage the under face of adjacentflooring boards.

5. A wear plate for floors comprising a tee-iron adapted to have oneflange thereof inserted between spaced floor boards, and flexible meansfor securing said tee-iron in position.

6. The combination with flooring boards spaced from each other, of awear plate adapted to cover the space between adjacent boards, andbendable means carried by said plate and entering said space forsecuring said plate in position.

7. The combination with flooring boards spaced from each other, of awear plate adapted to cover the space between adjacent boards, a ribdepending from said plate entering the space between adjacent boards,and bendable fingers upon said rib for securing the plate in position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

THOMAS E. STOCKFORD.

BELLE WILLIAMS.

